Comparison

ZeroTier One vs MikroTik

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

ZeroTier One

Create secure, peer-to-peer virtual Ethernet networks on your iOS device. Connect to hybrid clouds, remote teams, and IoT devices without hardware. Easily join existing networks via a simple interface.

Highlights
  • Join ZeroTier virtual networks
  • Secure peer-to-peer connections
  • Connect hybrid clouds
  • Connect remote teams
  • Connect IoT devices
  • No hardware required
  • iOS VPN control panel integration
Read full description

ZeroTier One for iOS allows you to join ZeroTier virtual networks as VPN connections on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch. ZeroTier creates secure peer-to-peer virtual Ethernet networks that work anywhere. Skip the VPN hassles. Connect hybrid clouds, remote teams, and IoT devices directly with no hardware required. ZeroTier One provides virtual network endpoint functionality for iOS devices. Getting started takes seconds: Just tap '+', enter your network ID and name, and then click ‘join network.’ (Once a network is added you can also join it via the iOS VPN control panel. It will appear there as an available VPN connection.) You can only join one ZeroTier network at once due to an iOS limitation of one VPN connection per network extension app. The app allows you to add multiple networks but if you flip one to 'on' any others currently joined will disconnect. We value your feedback! If you encounter any issues or have suggestions for future improvements, please contact our support team through our website. Thanks for using ZeroTier! Clients for other platforms are available on https://www.zerotier.com/ and source code to ZeroTier's core engine can be found here: https://github.com/zerotier/ZeroTierOne

About

MikroTik

Configure and manage MikroTik routers and access points remotely. This tool provides access to essential network features like routing, firewall, and bandwidth management directly from your smartphone.

Highlights
  • RouterOS configuration
  • Network management
  • Firewall settings
  • Bandwidth control
  • Wireless AP setup
  • Hotspot gateway management
Features
Read full description

MikroTik RouterOS is the operating system of RouterBOARD and CCR devices. RouterOS provides all the core features for your network - routing, firewall, bandwidth management, wireless access point, backhaul link, hotspot gateway and more. Use the MikroTik smartphone app to configure your router in the field, or to apply the most basic initial settings for your MikroTik home access point. Requirements: RouterOS v6 or newer. Discussion forum: https://forum.mikrotik.com

Screenshots

ZeroTier One3 screens
MikroTik4 screens

Verdict

The call

ZeroTier One and MikroTik both sit at 3.8 stars, but that hides the real split: 57% of ZeroTier One's written reviews are positive against 46% of MikroTik's. ZeroTier One also leads on iOS requirement (12.0 vs 16.0). On price, rating, ratings volume and update cadence there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 3.8 for ZeroTier One against 3.9 for MikroTik. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 212 and 282 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 57% of ZeroTier One's written reviews are positive against 46% of MikroTik's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and November 2, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
ZeroTier One versus MikroTik: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterZeroTier OneMikroTik
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.8 (212 ratings)3.9 (282 ratings) — better
Positive reviews57.1% of reviews — better45.7% of reviews
Number of ratings212282 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS12.0 — better16.0
Further details — not scored
Size10 MB37 MB
Age rating4+9+
DeveloperZeroTier, IncMikrotikls SIA

Customer experience

ZeroTier One

All ratings182 ratings
Positive70.3%
Neutral7.1%
Negative22.5%
Written reviews217 reviews
Positive57.1%
Neutral11.5%
Negative31.3%

MikroTik

All ratings268 ratings
Positive70.9%
Neutral4.9%
Negative24.3%
Written reviews514 reviews
Positive45.7%
Neutral14.2%
Negative40.1%

User reviews

ZeroTier One

From 212 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Works great
  • 🔒 Reliable and secure
  • 👍 Easy to set up and use
  • 🌐 Allows remote access to devices
  • 💡 Useful for gaming and collaboration

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Connectivity issues
  • 🔋 Battery drain
  • 🤔 Confusing UI
  • 🚫 Doesn't work on certain devices/OS versions

MikroTik

From 282 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Fully functional
  • 🔒 Secure connection
  • 👍 Comprehensive features
  • 👍 Handy for on-the-go management
  • 👍 Intuitive interface

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Crashes and bugs
  • 🐛 Slow performance and loading times
  • 🐛 Unreliable connection
  • 🐛 Unstable after updates
  • 🐛 Inability to configure certain settings

Bugs and requests

ZeroTier One

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Unable to add networks on iOS devices
  • Frequent disconnections and reconnection issues
  • Managed IP field always empty

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add support for custom planet and moon servers
  • Implement on-demand VPN functionality
  • Provide better network visibility and management
  • Improve compatibility with newer iOS versions

MikroTik

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Connection issues and 'connection refused' errors
  • Inability to login or access certain settings
  • Crashes when trying to view specific menus or data
  • Inconsistent behavior after updates
  • Incorrect display of information (e.g. DHCP leases, interface traffic)

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add support for RoMON and terminal access
  • Improve navigation and search functionality
  • Provide more customization options
  • Optimize for tablet/iPad use
  • Add support for more languages (e.g. Spanish, Russian)

In-app purchases

None

ZeroTier One

No in-app purchases

None

MikroTik

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is ZeroTier One free?
ZeroTier One is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is MikroTik free?
MikroTik is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, ZeroTier One or MikroTik?
MikroTik is rated higher. ZeroTier One averages 3.8 out of 5 from 212 ratings, while MikroTik averages 3.9 from 282 ratings.
Do ZeroTier One or MikroTik have ads?
Neither ZeroTier One nor MikroTik shows ads.
Which is updated more often, ZeroTier One or MikroTik?
ZeroTier One ships an update every 2 months, and MikroTik every 2 months. Most recently, ZeroTier One was updated on October 24, 2026 and MikroTik on November 2, 2026.

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